Diameter-stop and thread-break stop mechanism



' 5, 1 932. MACBETH 1,865,578

DIAMETER STOP MiD THREAD BREAK STOP MECHANISM Original Filed April 15. 1927 Fig.1. F Q

' TTOkA/E) the drive.

Patented July 5, 1932 i v, UNITED. STATES conm MAcBErH, OFVBIRMIHNGHAM, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 DUNLOP RUBBER 00M- PATENT OFFICE,

PANY LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, A CORPORATION OF GREAT BRITAIN DIAMETER-STOP AND THREAD-BREAK STOP MECHANISM I Original application filed. April 13, 1927, Serial No. 183,561, and in Great Britain June 3, 19 26. Divided 'and this application filed July This invention has reference primarily to machinery for winding the elastic india-rubber thread used in the production of cores for golf and other balls, but is applicable also to machines for Winding other strands or threads.

This application is a division of my copending application No. 183,561 filed April 1 927.

Sphere or core-winding machines of this kind sometimes embody what is known as a diameter-stop mechanism for automatically throwing out the drive and stopping the winding operation when the work being produced has attained its predetermined or prescribed size or diameter, and further, they are sometimes provided with a thread-break stop also adapted to throw out the drive in the event of the thread or strand breaking dur 'ing delivery to the work.

My present invention consists in or comprises an improved diameter-stop mechanism for thread-winding machines which, whilst being positive or certain in its knock-oil opera tion, is highly sensitive and immediately responsive to the attainment of the desired size or diameter of the work in that it is character ized by the provision of a spring-loaded selftripping element or detent which normally is interposed between the knock-off lever and a clutch lever or equivalent drive-control element (for maintaining the latter in the position provided for the transmission of drive) but which, when released by the knock-ofi lever, is moved under the action of its loading spring to release the drive-control element and permit the displacement of the latter by a spring or weight for throwing out 'This detent is preferably held in its normal position by a nose or extension of a long and sensitive knock-01f arm and is adapted to be tripped on release by a spring which may be so light that it imposes but a minimum of resistance to the ball-growth displacement of the said knock-off arm, and further aug ments the sensitivity of the mechanism.

1 My invention further provides a threadbreak stop comprising a member which, on being displaced consequent on thebreakage 22, 1929. Serial No. 380,017. I

of the thread, acts on the knock-off lever of i i shown an application to a machine for winding golf-ball cores, of a mechanism in accordance with my invention which is adapted to correctly control the finished diameter of the core by providing for, or permitting of, the automatic stopping of the machine when the core attains the required diameter; which mechanism also embodies, or is associated with, means in'accordancewith my said invention for permitting the machine to be stopped automatically in the event of a thread breakage. V

In the said drawing,

Figure 1 shows in plan and Figure 2 in elevation, the general arrangements of the diameter-stop mechanism, and

Figure 3 shows the arrangement of that part of the thread-break stop which undergoes displacement when a thread breaks during delivery.

The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawing.

Referringfirst to the diameter-stop mechwith the one end of a knock-off arm or lever 69, which is fulcrumed on a spindle 68 mounted in a bracket 66 on a suitable part of the body 11 of the machine. That end of the knock-oft lever on which the rod 12 acts may be furnished, as shown, with an adjustable contact-screw 71 adapted to be lined in its adjusted position by a lock nut 70.

In order to realize sensitivity in action and render the mechanism immediately responsive to the attainment of the finished diameterof the ball core, the knock-off arm is of such relatively long length that in fact it constitutes a sensitive finger which requires displacement through a considerable distance at the operated end 71 before releasing or tripping the detent mechanism with which it is associated and which is interposed between the knock-oil arm and a spring-loaded lever controlling the drive.

The intermediate or interposed mechanism shown in the drawing comprises a nose or short arm 7 3 which is carried by and moves with the fulcrumed end of the arm 69, and is adapted normally to engage the part 74 of a detent 74 fulcrumed on an axis-pin 76, fixed in the one end of a link 85, which link is suitably fulcrumed to an extension of the framebracket 66. This detent is loaded by a light spring 75, and its axis pin 76 is adapted, as shown in Figure 2, to act as a catch or engagement for a tooth 87 formed on a clutch- -control lever 72 that is fulcrumed on the frame at 7 8 and whose arm 7 8 engages the withdrawal collar of a displaceable drivingclutch member 72 The said clutch-control lever 72 is loaded by a spring 7 7 so applied that when the said lever is released by the detent mechanism, the same will be displaced by the said spring 77 in the direction for disengaging the clutch and throwing out the drive.

Before the Winding of a core is started, the mechanism is so set that the extension 73 of the knock-off arm 69 engages under the tooth 74 of the detent and the catch part of the detent axis-pin 76 engages the tooth 87 of the clutch-control lever 72. When thus set, the displaceable member of the clutch is positively held in engagement with its complementary driving part by the detent mechanism and in opposition to the tension of the spring 77, and the parts remain in these engagements during the growth of the ball-core notwithstanding the gradual displacements of the rod 12, 65, the knock-oft arm 69 and its tooth 73, pro rata with such growth. But the timing of the movements of these displaced elements is such that, immediately the said core attains the desired diameter, the nose 73 of the knock-off arm 69 slips from under the tooth 74 of the detent and leaves the latter free to be rotationally displaced by its spring 75 in a direction which will clear the catch portion of the axis-pin 76 from the tooth 87 of the clutch-control lever 72 and permit the said lever to be displaced by the knock-ofi' spring 77 in the appropriate direction for disengaging the clutch and cutting out the drive.

When the clutch-lever is thus released and moved to the position indicated by the dotted lines 80 in Figure 2, it automatically re-sets the detent by means of a stud 82 which strikes the pendant arm of the said detent as the clutch is being disengaged and in moving to the position indicated by dotted lines at 84, tilts the detent against the load of its spring 7 5, since the clutch knock-oft spring is more powerful than the said detent spring. The tooth 73 of the knock-off arm 69 is engaged by gravity underneath the detent-tooth 74* after the automatic resetting of the said detent.

The detent 7% and axis-pin 76 are journalled in the link 85 which, as already stated, is pivoted on a pin 86, and as it is necessary for the catch 76 to move out momentarily of the path of the tooth 87 of the clutch lever when re-engaging the clutch (which is done by depressing the finger-push end 72 of the said lever), the link 85 is arranged to swing about its axis 86 and is provided with a lug or extension 91 engaging a vertical stud 89 on the frame and serving as an abutment for a spring 88. The position of the swinging link member 85, 91, and 75, is adjustable in relation to the clutch-lever catch'87 by adjusting the lock nuts 90. Thus the arrangement permits of the displacement of the link, detent and catch 85, 7 4, 76, in re-starting the machine, whilst the spring 88 restores the catch 76 into the path of the clutch-lever tooth 87 to permit of these parts resuming their effective engagement when the restarting pressure on the clutch-lever finger piece 72 is relieved.

The thread-break mechanism shown in Figure 3 comprises a roller 92 adapted to rest upon the thread 6, this roller being carried by the one arm of a lever 93 which pivots on a suitably-supported pin 94 and whose other arm 95 is extended under the knock-oil" arm 69 of the relay stop mechanism already described. The lever 93 is so arranged that normally its arm or extension 95 is out of contact with the knock-off arm 69 whereas when the thread breaks, the roller 92 and the arm 93 drops and the extension 95 contacts with and lifts the knock-oil arm to disengage the relay detent and permit the driving clutch to be disengaged by its spring for stopping the machine.

The roller 92 may be of such a light weight that it will impose only a negligible load, on the thread and does not appreciably interfere with the run or delivery of tensioned elastic thread from the tensioning gear to the work,

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s 1. A diameter stop mechanism for machines of the kind referred to comprising in combination a drive control element for the machine, a detent engaging said element to prevent movement thereof, a spring-controlled lever carrying said detent, means for normally preventing release of said drive control element from its detent, an arm carrying said last mentioned means and a member contacting with the work to move said arm gradually as the work diameter increases until a predetermined diameter is reached when the detent is released to release the drive control element.

2. A diameter stop mechanism for machines of the kind referred to comprising in combination a drive control element, a spring-controlled detent en agin said element to prevent movement t ereo and having a projection thereon, a member engaging said projection for normally preventing release of said detent, an arm carryin said last mentioned member and adapte for movement about a pivot and means contacting with the work and with said arm to move the latter as the diameter of the work increases until at a predetermined diameter the co-operative engagement of the detent projection and the member normally engaging therewith ceases so that the detent is released and thus releases the drive control element to stop the drive of the machine.

3. A diameter stop mechanism according to claim 1 having means. for permitting reengagement of the drive control element and its detent when the control element is moved for connecting the drive to the machine.

In witness whereof I afiix my si nature.

COLIN MA BETH. 

